Carnival Cruise Line believes that, just like in a marriage or a strong friendship, loyalty matters. So it’s not surprising that when Skift’s newly revamped Business of Loyalty Newsletter talked to several big wigs at the cruise line, they found out that the company monitors its loyalty program very carefully… and just might be making changes to it in the future.

Skift reports that Kathy Tan Mayor, chief marketing officer for Carnival, has been looking for ways to get passengers better perks in a shorter time period “so they don’t feel like they’re waiting a lifetime to appreciate a benefit.”

The Current Program

Like the loyalty programs run by most major cruise lines, Carnival’s VIFP — that’s Very Important Fun person — offers a series of increasingly valuable rewards based on points accrued with each cruise. Passengers — whether past, present or future — can sign up for the program and immediately begin working their way up the color-coded ladder. The current loyalty levels are Blue (for first-time cruisers), Red (from your second sailing until you’ve earned 24 points), Gold (25-74 points), Platinum (75-199 points) and Diamond (for those who’ve amassed 200 points or more). Obviously, the higher the level, the better the rewards, ranging from offers and a newsletter at the Blue level to unlimited laundry and priority restaurant reservations for those at the top of the heap.

What They’re Considering Changing

Having done a whole lot of research into these areas, Mayor believes there’s a certain point at which people go from someone who is taking a cruise to someone for whom cruising has become a preferred type of vacation. “The third [sailing] is what we believe the tipping point is,” she told Skift news editor Hannah Sampson, adding that the line “should be designing the loyalty program to hand you more from the first cruise to the second and the second cruise to the third.”

This makes sense on numerous levels. After all, if the rewards you get at the lower levels aren’t particularly attractive, it might be tempting to give another line a try. Your loyalty to the brand has not yet been established, and it’s more like you went on a first date and are still deciding whether or not to commit. But by offering sweeter incentives at the lower levels, newbies would have more reasons to go on a second date, as it were.

The line is also looking to develop new partnerships as well as expand those already in existence, all as a way of making Carnival the brand people think of when they think of cruising. By making sure people have the best experience possible, Carnival hopes that ultimately, cruisers will want to sail with them again not only because of the perks they might receive by doing so, but because of the quality of the experience.

The good news: When sailing on most Carnival Cruise Line ships, you can still purchase the Faster To The Fun package. The bad news? On many of those ships, taking the happiness highway’s express lane is gonna cost you a little extra.

How Much Faster To The Fun Went Up

Carnival quietly boosted the price earlier this week, although news of the change spread quickly across social media. Some proclaimed that they didn’t mind paying the extra fee for the program — which offers numerous benefits, including priority embarkation — while others thought there were better ways in which they could spend the money.

So how much did the price go up? Previously, the cost — which is per cabin, not per person — ran between $49,95 to $79.95, depending on the ship and the length of the sailing. The price has now gone up to between $69.95 and $99.95.

The Breakdown

Screenshot via Carnival.

The program will cost $69.95 on 5-day sailings, except on the Sensation, where the price is $59.95.

On sailings lasting 8 days or longer, the package will now cost $99.95.

When Carnival first rolled Faster to the Fun out in 2012, it was $49.95 per stateroom across the fleet. In 2016, the line switched to the tiered pricing system which remains in effect to this day.

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What does Faster to the Fun include?

A limited number of Faster To The Fun passes are sold, which is one of the reasons many believe it to be worth the price, as it allows for faster boarding thanks to separate security screening lanes and an express boarding lane upon embarkation. Those who purchase FTTF also have immediate access to their staterooms, which generally are not available immediately upon boarding. The perk also includes priority luggage handling, access to priority tendering in ports where applicable, a choice of disembarkation times and priority dinner-time assignments.

Do you generally purchase Faster To The Fun? Will the change in price impact your decision to do so in the future?

The newest ship to join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet also just became the coolest with the news that Queen Latifah has been named the Carnival Horizon’s godmother.

When The Queen Will Reign

Photo: Carnival

Beloved by millions, the actress/singer/author/businesswoman said it was “an honor” to be selected, especially given the line’s longtime association with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, “a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.”

Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, said that “with her fun-loving spirit and positive, can-do attitude, Queen Latifah embodies our brand and knows how to Choose Fun in everything she does. Knowing that she is a long-time supporter of St. Jude and has performed on and won Lip Sync Battle made her the ideal candidate to serve as godmother on our newest ship.”

Latifah will officially assume her duties at the naming ceremony, which is set to take place during an invitation-only overnight gala being held on the Carnival Horizon in New York City on Wednesday, May 23. During the ceremony, St. Jude will be presented with a check representing funds raised at various Carnival events, both on ships and on shore. The atrium-grounding Dreamescape funnel will also feature artwork created by dozens of St. Jude patients.

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The gala will also see Latifah taking part in a special event titled Lip Sync Battle: Horizon which will showcase the ship’s authentic reproduction of the hit TV series.

Over the past few years, Latifah has… well, pretty much done it all. She’s won awards from groups as diverse as the Teen Choice Awards and the Screen Actors Guild, not to mention a Grammy, an Oscar nomination and two NAACP Image Awards. She was also the first hip-hop artist to be honored with a star on the world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, and now runs a production company — Flavor Unit Entertainment — which produces a wide variety of programming.

After The Gala

Following the naming ceremony and Gala on May 23, the Carnival Horizon will spend the summer sailing out of New York City before relocating in September to Miami, where she’ll sail year-round cruises to the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruise Line will be offering 17 new sailings to Cuba aboard Carnival Sensation in 2019. The five-day voyages will be the line’s first to operate round-trip from Miami and feature a day-long call in Havana as well as stops in other popular ports.

The voyages complement a series of sailings to Cuba departing from Tampa aboard Carnival Paradise taking place in 2018 and 2019. Sensation‘s Cuba schedule includes:

A Cuban taxi driver, piloting a vintage car, pulls up to the El Morro Castle while the Carnival Paradise cruise ship is docked in Havana, Cuba. (Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line)

The 2,052-guest Carnival Sensation underwent a massive dry dock last year and a variety of venues were added, including Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Alchemy Bar, and Cherry on Top. Already onboard was a Serenity adults-only area, 24-hour pizza, the WaterWorks aqua park, and the Seuss at Sea program.

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Guests sailing on Carnival’s cruises to Cuba can choose from almost 20 shore excursions that showcase the island’s culture, beauty, and architectural landmarks. There will also be Cuba-themed parties, games, and activities onboard. To learn more, visit carnival.com.